Ricky Brown not satisfied with performance thus far

Pictures of the Ravens game against the Cincinnati Bengals in Week 17.

Edward Lee

Ricky Brown has enjoyed a solid start at Ravens training camp, but the inside linebacker isn’t content just yet.

The former Oakland Raider registered an interception and almost grabbed another one Thursday, the first full-squad practice at the team’s training facility in Owings Mills. The next day, he allowed backup quarterback Curtis Painter to connect with tight end Matt Balasavage for a touchdown during a red-zone exercise, but did sack backup quarterback Tyrod Taylor a few plays later.

But after Saturday’s session, Brown, 28, said he’s not entirely satisfied with his play.

“I have a ton of work to do,” he said. “It’s a matter of looking at it on film, seeing my mistakes, learning from them, and not repeating them again. It’s a 3-4 scheme, and I’ve never played it in an extended period of time. When I was a young, I had done 3-4 on the scout team, but never with the little nuances of it all. I’m very blessed to have my old linebackers coach, Don Martindale, here. So he and I speak the same language. He’s been a big help for me, helping me learn the defense.”

Because of his relative inexperience with the Ravens’ 3-4 defensive alignment, Brown said his objective is simple.

“On the second day of practice, I tried not to make any mistakes from the mistakes that I made on the first day. And today, I tried not to make any from the second day. I’m just stacking them,” he said. “And especially when you come in right at the beginning of training camp after a lot of the guys have had the offseason, you’ve really got to hit the books and you’ve got to open your mind and learn from your mistakes quickly.”

Because he was just signed by the team Wednesday, Brown would appear to be trailing teammates like Dannell Ellerbe, Brendon Ayanbadejo and Josh Bynes in his candidacy to make the active 53-man roster. But Brown said he’s not worried about keeping pace with his teammates, but rather about keeping track of their names.

“Probably the hardest thing about it is, I’m getting to know the guys,” he said. “So it’s tough when you’re out there playing and you want to call somebody by his first name or his nickname, but you have to call him by his number. And I’m sure that guys are calling me by my number. So that’s probably the hardest part, getting a feel for the players you’re with. But that will come quickly. We’re on the field enough to get it down.”